Fearing conscription, anti-war Russians flock to Uzbekistan
Al JazeeraNov 25, 2021
The Facts
Two Russian men who have been living in the Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea since October were on Tuesday granted the right to leave the terminal building and apply for refugee status by a South Korean court.
The Incheon District Court rejected another Russian man's plea for refugee status without detailing its justifications. The asylum requests of two other Russian men still stranded in the airport will be decided by the Court later this month.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
It is immensely disappointing to see how long it took for these men to be allowed to plea for refugee status and even more upsetting that another man has been rejected. Having fled Russia to avoid killing or being killed in an unjust war in Ukraine, these people can no longer return to their home nation without facing punishing measures. South Korea should accept these refugees, who have shown bravery in abandoning their home country and conscientiously objecting to an illegal war.
Pro-establishment narrative
Although these men may fear punishment if they return to Russia, avoiding compulsory military service is not a valid reason for a refugee status claim. South Korea has been generous enough to accept two applications on these grounds, but it is not the place of the international community to make moral judgements about South Korea's asylum criteria.
